


The 'Mon That Was Left Behind

by DigiKate813



Series: Faraday Pikachu AU [1]
Category: Gravity Falls, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Faraday Pikachu AU, Gen, Light Angst, Pokemon AU, both are lonely emotional wrecks at the moment, two stubborn creatures have to learn to live together, with a happy ending i swear
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-10
Updated: 2018-12-10
Packaged: 2019-09-15 10:20:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16931448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DigiKate813/pseuds/DigiKate813
Summary: The start of the Faraday Pikachu AU! Originally published on Tumblr in August 2016.Shortly after Ford winds up trapped on the other side of the portal, Stan is left to take care of his house until he can save him. But he finds out that he’ll also be taking care of the ‘mon that was left behind.Inspired by posts regarding Ford having a Pikachu and Stan having a Mimikyu by @thesnadger and the parts with Mimikyu being expanded on by @pinesinthewoods. While the Mimikyu ideas are not in this story, the idea of Ford having a Pikachu quickly sparked (no pun intended) this scenario into an ongoing AU. Has been edited a bit to polish it more from what I've learned since I posted it originally.





	1. Chapter 1

Stan entered Ford’s room, closed the door, and leaned against it with a sigh of relief.

“I can’t believe that worked. Man, the people in this town are gullible” He pulled out the wad of money the townsfolk gave him for the “tour”. “But it’s gonna work to my advantage while I find a way to get that hunk of junk to start up again.”

As he put the cash back in his pocket and looked around, he realized that he’s going to have to do a lot of work to get this place looking welcoming enough for more people to come and pay money to see it. Today, he worked with charm alone, but that’s only going to get him so far, and what he has in his pocket, while it certainly felt rewarding to have that much money in his possession at once, was not enough to spruce up the place. Let alone live on.

“Maybe Ford has some cash lying around. Or at least a bank account.”

As he rummaged through his brother’s desk, he continued to talk to himself. ”Maybe if I had thought of this before, I wouldn’t be stuck wasting time that could be spent on rescuing him showing a bunch of rubes around his house.” This thought was suddenly put aside when he opened another drawer, and something rolled to the front of it. 

“What the-?”

He picked it up to get a better look. It was a round metal object that was half light gray, half red. A shade of red similar to his brother’s journal. In fact, right above the dial in the middle of the red and gray, there was a gold six fingered hand painted on that looked just like the one on the journal. 

“This must be Ford’s Pokeball. I didn’t know Stanford still had Pokémon.” He looked a little closer at it and realized something. 

“There’s something inside.”

This brought some questions to Stan’s mind. For one, if there is something in this Pokeball, why would Ford leave it lying around? His brother didn’t look like he was in great shape when he arrived a couple of weeks ago, but leaving a Pokémon in his care just lying around didn’t seem like him.

Then again, he is pretty good at abandoning others.

He didn’t bothering contemplating that thought any further, because he had a bigger question to answer. Should he open it?  
If he remembered right, Pokémon are pretty low maintenance while they’re in their pokeballs. It kept them in some sort of suspended state. Kind of like sleeping. Until they were called out or they forced themselves out of their ball for one reason or another. 

Stanley already had enough on his mind. Trying to figure out the impossible machine that took his brother away. Fixing the house to make it public friendly so he could keep it. Taking care of all of that alone was going to cut into the time and money it took for necessities for himself. But another mouth to feed?! It just wasn’t a good idea.  
But then he thought of that Pokémon. He didn’t know how long it had been in there. Or how well Stanford was able to look after it before he got there. It might be hungry or exhausted, even with the effects of being in the pokeball. There was one thing he was sure of. It was probably lonely, and definitely scared.  
He certainly knew what that felt like.

Reluctantly, he turned the dial until the four arrows on it matched with the four arrows on the rim around the dial, pointed the ball away from him, and opened it. A burst of light emitted from the ball and formed the Pokémon that was inside. 

If Stan remembered right, this was a Pikachu. The Pikachu shook itself off and looked up at Stan.

“Pika!’ It exclaimed at first looking happily at Stan, but that happiness dropped pretty quickly as Pikachu looked at Stan “Pika?” and Stan could only assume it realized that even though he looked like him, he was not it’s trainer.

“Uh, hey there little guy.” Stan hesitantly said as he looked down at it, while rubbing the back of his neck. “Look, I don’t quite know how to explain this, but-”

Stan was quickly cut off when he heard the Pikachu cry something out as he barely dodged a bolt of lightning aimed towards him.

“What the heck was that for?!”

“Pika! Pika Pikachu!” it exclaimed fiercely.

“I have no idea what you’re saying” He replied flatly. Stanley put his hands in front of him and tried to approach Pikachu. “Look, if you’ll just calm down and let me ex- Augh!”  
He was cut off by yet another attack, and ducked down. Barely missing him again. Pikachu ran out of the room while Stan straightened himself out. “Hey! Come back!” 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Pikachu ran around most of the main floor of the house looking for Ford before the intruder caught up with him. The Pikachu didn’t want him to catch up to him before he could find his trainer and warn him about this intruder. So he jumped on top of a shelf in the living room and crawled into the vent.

He could hear the intruder yell “Where are you going? Get back here!”. But the Pikachu didn’t listen. He looked through the vent that lead to Ford’s secret study, but he didn’t see him there. So the Pikachu went further down and jumped out of the ventilation shaft in the portal lab calling out to his trainer.

“Pika?” he ran to the window that looked into the portal room. “Pika!”

The Pikachu’s expression dropped at the silence that met his cries to his beloved trainer. Where did he go? Who is this person who looks so much like him, and why is he in his house? And wherever Ford is, why didn’t he take him with him?

The Pikachu looked down and saw his reflection in the handprint of the journal he always saw Ford scribbling in. He felt like he was about to cry until he heard the elevator open.  
“Pi?” the Pikachu gasped as it turned around and saw the strange man standing in the doorway.The Pikachu sparked at the cheeks, but the intruder interrupted. “It’s okay, it’s okay. I promise I don’t wanna hurt you.” The Pikachu decided to listen, but he kept his guard up. “You belong to Stanford, right?”

“Pi.” the Pikachu nodded. The intruder continued. “Well, I’m his brother, Stanley. Stanford is….. well, he’s gone.”

The Pikachu’s heart dropped. So he was right. His trainer had abandoned him. He wasn’t even listening to what else intruder Stanley was saying. He was so overcome with anger and grief that he ran and jumped back into the vents. Again, he could here Stanley calling him, but he didn’t listen. Why should he? When he got back to the main level, he did the only thing he could think of at that moment. He ran up to the attic. and let out all the tears he had been holding in. What was he going to do?  
\---------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Stan stood in the portal lab, trying to explain to this Pikachu what had happened to it’s trainer. “Stanford is…….. well, he’s gone” Piakchu stopped sparking when he said that, so he decided to keep going. “You see, he fell through this portal thing and wound up on the other side. I don’t where he went or if he’s even okay. But I promise, I’m going to do everything in my power to get him-” Stan’s statement was interrupted by Pikachu leaping back into the vents. Stan ran over to try and stop it “Wait! Come back!” Stan groaned in frustration. “What is with this thing?!”

Stan took the elevator back upstairs, but the Pikachu was nowhere to be found. It was already dark out by the time Stan had searched the main floor for it. He looked up the stairs to what he presumed was the attic. When he stepped on the stairs that led up there. Pikachu’s Thounderbolt suddenly lit up the hallway upstairs. He took his foot off the step, and after a few seconds, stepped back on. But again, he was met with a Thunderbolt. 

Out of frustration, Stan decided to leave it alone for now. Finally taking in what an exhausting day it’s been, Stan leaned and slid down against the wall next to him (which made him wince immediately thanks to that fresh burn of his). He sat there with his face in his hand. “What am I gonna do?”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot more going on in this chapter (including flashbacks), but even if it is a bit more ambitious, hopefully this reads a bit better then the last chapter. But Stan and Faraday seem to be good now. What else is there to tell?
> 
> Hee hee.

“Be sure to come back soon for more tales of the untold at the Murder Hut!” Stan stated as he led a group of people out of his new home. “And remember, at least two, uh, twelve full tips per person.” The townspeople each dropped more money into the giant tip jar Stan held out, commenting on how much they enjoyed the tour.

After the last person left, he slammed the door and sighed exhaustingly. “Oy. I don’t know how much longer I can pull this off.” He still hadn’t had time to fix up the place, but it already looked creepy and mysterious enough for the time being. He looked down at the jar under his arm, which was now halfway filled with cash and change. “Well, at least it’s paying off.”

Stan walked wearily down the hall, heading towards Ford’s room, when he passed the staircase that lead to the attic. Where his brother’s Pikachu had been hiding all day. He realized that he hadn’t checked on it since this morning. Then again, he wasn’t fond of the idea of getting fried by something one sixth his size. Still, it had been a while. So Stan put the jar down, and stood in front of the staircase. He pressed one foot on the creaky step, waiting for the flash of light that followed that sound before. But nothing happened. “It must’ve fallen asleep.” he theorized under his breathe. So he backed away from the stairs, picked up the jar, and continued on his way back to his brother’s old room. When he got there, he put the jar on the desk and picked up the journal next to it. He sat on the couch and began flipping through.

“Come on Poindexter. You gotta have something about this thing in here” After about 50 pages of sci-fi weirdness, he noticed a drawing of Pikachu and stopped. “Perfect. All right. What does it say?” There was a passage dedicated to this Pokémon and Stan began to read it aloud to himself.

**_During my latest journey into the forest, I came across a Pokémon fighting a group of plaid colored animals for territory. It chased off the creatures, so I didn’t get a good look, but I will be sure to track them down at a later date. I never thought I would see a Pokémon, much less something as common as a Pikachu in as strange a place as the forests of Gravity Falls. But then I realized something. This Pikachu was different. It had a black stripe along the bottom of it’s tail._ **

“It does?” Stan interrupted his own reading, then looked over at the illustration of Pikachu for clarification. How did he not notice something like that? Sure. He was a little busy chasing after it and trying not to get electrocuted, but still. There was more to the entry, so he continued on.

_**This is quite unusual! Usually a Pikachu loses the black coloring on it’s tail when it evolves from Pichu, and doesn’t gain it back until it evolves again. This Pikachu was certainly an oddity, so I decided to approach it. After some persuasion, I convinced it to become my latest partner. Even without a battle.** _

Stan rolled his eyes at how smug that last sentence read.

_**I named him Faraday. After the major contributor to the science of electromagnetism. I think it fits for an Electric type. Though I have ot admit I was also considering the name Tesla, but he seemed more fond of the former.** _

“So it has a nickname? Maybe that’s why it wouldn’t listen to me.” That and he was a total stranger in it’s house when it’s trainer had disappeared. Nah, it was probably the name thing. He turned the page and realized there were at least a couple more pages dedicated to Faraday the Pikachu.

“Well, it’s not much, but it’s a start. All right, so what does this thing eat?”

                                                  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_It took Pikachu a while to fend off the paddle of Plaidypus’ (and he thought his miscoloring was weird), but the damage was done. All the food he was storing was gone. Before he could wallow for too long, he heard a bush shift behind him. He immediately turned around and began to charge an attack. He’d already lost his food. He wasn’t going to lose his home._

_When he turned around, he was met with a tall man in a trench coat and glasses. The man immediately put his hands up in front of him “Whoa there! It’s alright. I’m not going to hurt you.” He stepped a little closer, and Piakchu stepped back. “I just wanted to get a closer look”_

_Pikachu noticed he was pulling something shiny out of his pocket. Fearing the worse, Pikachu unleashed the Thunderbolt attack with a loud cry. It missed the man and hit a tree behind him, but it startled him enough to make him fall back. As he fell to the ground, he dropped the shiny object and Pikachu got a closer look._

_It was a pen. Pikachu was so embarrassed. The man couldn’t hurt him with that. He decided to pick it up for the man while he got his bearings. But as he ran past the man to grab it, he heard some rustling in the trees. Rustling in the tree that he hit. Uh-oh._

_Suddenly, a giant creature emerged from the leaves of the tree._

_“A giant vampire bat!” the man behind Pikachu exclaimed. Pikachu turned around to see that the man had composed himself and was kneeling on the ground looking up at the creature. With a smile?! What is wrong with this guy?_

_“Incredible! I’ve only ever seen one, and that was in the middle of the night. What could possibly provoke a vampiric creature to emerge in the daylight?” He stroked his chin as he spoke, slowly looked down the trunk, and stopped at what Pikachu assumed was the scorch mark he’d left on the tree. The man’s widened at the sight of the scorch mark. The man turned to him. “Oh.”_

_As the man realized what happened, the giant bat let out a horrifying screech that forced Pikachu and the man to cover their ears, and caused every bird in the trees to flee. The creature spread it’s wings and swooped down towards Pikachu._

_“Look out!” the man yelled as he suddenly grabbed Pikachu in his arms and rolled away from where the bat was diving towards the ground. The bat pulled up at the last second and was now in the air. Ready to attack again. The man was catching his breath and was kneeling on the ground again. But he still had Pikachu in his arms. His took his eyes off the bat and looked down at Pikachu “Are you alright?”_

_Pikachu was still surprised the man helped him after he almost electrocuted him, but he snapped out of it to give the man a nod and an assuring “Pika.”. The man quickly replied “Good.” He put Pikachu down and reached into his coat. “Now don’t worry. I have just the thing to ward off this……monster?” . The man started digging deeper and deeper into pockets. Then he started patting himself frantically. “Are you kidding me?! Of all the times for me to leave my holy garlic juice at home!”_

_His exasperation caught the attention of the giant bat, and it dove right at them again. Both of them screamed and the man quickly went back to searching his pockets talking ot himself. “Come on. Come on. I’ve got to have something that can stop this thing.”_

_Pikachu looked up at the man still trying to find a solution. He admired his determination. He wanted to help the man the way he helped him. Without a second thought, Pikachu jumped up on the man’s shoulder for momentum, and jumped high in the air to get as close to the bat as he could. He vaguely heard the man call out “What are you-” but he had cut the man off._

_“Pikaaaaachuuuuuuuuuuuu!”_

_Pikachu’s Thunderbolt was one of the strongest it had ever performed. It hit the bat so hard that it was twitching uncontrollably. Lightning shot into the air far past the trees that lit up the area around them. Pikachu completed his attack and landed on the ground. The bat collapsed on the ground in front of it, and the man’s jaw was on the ground behind him._

_The man spoke again “That was…….. incredible!” Pikachu watched the man walk past him and towards the unconscious bat as he continued. “I’ve never seen an Electric attack performed so well, and the fact that you were able to knock out a creature this large with one stirke?! You are truly a remarkable Pokémon to be able to pull that off.”_

_Pikachu got kind of embarrassed at that last statement. He’d never thought of himself as anything special. Then the man kneeled down in front of him. “I am sorry for startling you earlier, but thank you for your help.”_

_The man stuck out his hand, and Pikachu realized something. This man had six fingers. Pikachu hadn’t been around many humans, but he was pretty sure they usually didn’t have that many._

_“My name is Stanford Pines, and if you don’t mind Pikachu, I’d like to get to know you better. One oddity to another. Whaddya say?”_

_Pikachu didn’t know what to say. But the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He never liked being on his own, and if he was going to become a Pokémon partner, he couldn’t think of a better trainer then this man. Then Stanford Pines._

_“Pika.” Pikachu stuck out his unusual tail to match Stanford’s unusual hands, and they shook on it._

                                            -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Faraday opened his eyes and looked around. Realized that he was dreaming. He was still alone in the attic. A stranger, Stanley, claiming the place he had called home as his own, and Stanford was still gone. He would have started crying again if the loud rumbling of his stomach hadn’t interrupted.

Faraday couldn’t remember the last time he had eaten. He didn’t even know how long he had been in his poke ball. He started to debate whether or not to go downstairs to look for food, but then he noticed a smell. A somewhat familiar smell. He followed the scent to the top of the stairs and noticed a bowl at the entrance. Faraday took another sniff of the bowl and realized it was a bowl of, “Pika?” chipackerz?

Faraday loved chipackerz. He still remembered the first night he spent in his new home, trying some for the first time from a half empty bag Ford had just left on the kitchen table. He remembered Ford offering him the rest of the bag while he wrote in his journal. They were absolutely delicious, and they were Faraday’s favorite snack.

Looking back on such a happy day really wasn’t making him feel any better then it did a few minutes ago, but his stomach growled even louder. He suddenly realized that Stanley must have left these here. Were they even safe to eat? He didn’t know this guy.

Faraday decided to take another big whiff of the snack. They didn’t smell suspicious. So he cautiously picked one up, took a small bite, and realized that they were just as delicious as they’ve always been. Maybe even more, since they tasted fresh. Faraday still had room for more, so he decided to grab another chipacker and dig in.

                                           -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Stan was bringing in the last of the hardware he had left in his car. He spent a good chunk of his money on supplies to make signs to draw people to the shack, and to make some “attractions”. He had to add more flair to the place if he was going to get more business.

He left the supplies in the storage room that was now the entrance to the Murder Hut, and headed towards the kitchen. In the hallway, he was surprised to see Faraday, who had just come down the stairs, balancing a now empty bowl on his head.

“Uh, hey there Pik-. Sorry. Faraday.” Faraday’s eyes widened at the sound of his nickname. “That’s your name right?”

“Pika” Faraday nodded. He grabbed the bowl and placed it in front of him. “Pikachu” he said as he bowed his head.

“Are you, thanking me for the food?” Faraday nodded again. Stan chuckled in response “Don’t mention it. I was just lucky to find out what you like.” Stan bent down to grab the bowl and proceeded to the kitchen with Faraday following him. “I mean, it’s not like you could tell me. You’re not exactly what I’d call chatty.”

Stan would’ve ket going, but he was interrupted by his stomach growling. “Pika?” Faraday was questioning him about that noise (or at least that’s what Stan figured). “Heh. Guess that greasy food from the local diner didn’t fill me up as much as I thought.” Stan chuckled awkwardly as he tired to write the sound off as no big deal.

Stan was right about what he’d thought the other day. With all the stuff he was buying to make the shack more welcoming, not to mention taking care of a certain medical expense he really couldn’t avoid, for now there was only so much left for the necessities. But if things keep going according to plan, funds should balance out over the next few days. Even with taking care of Faraday. Besides, he could handle this. He’s certainly been through worse. At least he was guaranteed to have a roof over his head each day.

Stan snapped out of his thoughts when Faraday jumped up on the kitchen counter and proceeded to rummage through the cabinets. “Hey, if you’re still hungry, there’s plenty more of those cracker things.”. He wasn’t even sure if Faraday was paying attention. He just kept looking around, jumping to the next set of cabinets.

“You can look around all you want, but I’ve searched all over. There’s nothin’ else in the house.” Stan still had no idea what this thing was trying to accomplish, and he was starting to get annoyed. He got a bowl full of food. What more did he want? He watched Faraday sit on the counter and scratch it’s head with it’s tail. That’s weird. Then Stan could’ve sworn the Pikachu looked like he had come to some sort of realization. Which caused him to jump on top of the fridge and stick it’s head into a novelty cookie jar shaped like an owl.

“Faraday, what the heck are ya do-” “Pika!” Faraday immediately interrupted as he found what Stan presumed he was looking for. Faraday tossed it down to Stan, that he clumsily caught. Turns out there was more food in the house. “Jellybeans?” Stan should’ve known. His brother always did have a weak spot for them. It was still sealed, too.

“Pikachu.” Farday exclaimed as he jumped back down on the counter, smiling at Stan.

“You found these for me?” Stan asked almost in a whisper. Faraday nodded.

“Huh.” Stan didn’t know what else to say, so his stomach decided to respond for him with another growl. So he opened the bag, grabbed a couple of jellybeans, and ate them. A small satisfying hum escaped from him as he chewed on the sweets, as the flavor exploded. Stan looked over at his new companion to realize he was waiting to see if he’d done a good job. Stan gave the Pikachu a crooked smile.

“I can see why my brother is so crazy about these things. They are pretty good.” He put his hand out towards Faraday, and after a moment of hesitation, gave him a pat on the head. “Thanks for the snack, Faraday.” Pikachu smiled and waved him off with his tail. That’s when Stan noticed it for the first time. “Hey. The book was right! You do have a black stripe on your tail!” Stan said probably louder then he should have.

“Pi?” Faraday was startled and quickly hid his tail behind his back. “Chaa” he whined and looked away.

Stan quickly tried to fix the situation “Hey, come on. Don’t hide it. I’m not makin’ fun of ya or anything. I think it looks kinda cool. Even looks kinda a like an extra lightning bolt.” Stan stuttered out with as much humor as he could. “you know, ‘cause you tail already looks like one.” Stan sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“Pikachu!” Faraday squeaked, which caused Stan to look at the Pikachu again. Who was now smiling and wagging it’s tail proudly. Stan may have been thinking on his feet there, but it looks like it made the little Pokémon feel better. Phew. Dodged that bullet.

After all was said and done, Stan realized something very important. That he was still hungry. So he left the kitchen and walked down the hall, scarfing down some more jellybeans along the way. Faraday followed him for a while, but then started to run off into some other unknown parts of the house. Stan just left him to it. Faraday knew this house better then he did. He knew where he’d be comfortable.

After today, Stan thought, maybe he could do this. Maybe he really could pull off everything he was planning to, and be able to look after Faraday. In a few weeks time, he may be able to buy him something more substantial to eat then chipackerz.


	3. Chapter 3

“Pi. Kaaaaaa” Faraday let out in a yawn as he slowly woke up. He had decided to sleep in the attic again. Even if he wasn’t hiding anymore, it’s a fairly roomy area, and he had it all to himself. He had taken more of a liking to Stanley after yesterday, but he still wasn’t crazy about this arragment. But what could he do? His trainer was gone. Ford had left him behind. What else was he going to do?

Faraday’s thoughts were interrupted by a noise from outside. Faraday looked over to the window to realize it was the crack of dawn. Why was there such a ruckus outside this early in the morning? Was that stupid Leprecorn in the garbage again?

Faraday jumped up onto the window seat to get a better look and saw, Stanley? What was he doing out there? He leaned in closer to the window to get a better look at Stanley. Who was apparently hammering a sign into the ground. He must be putting up some more of those “No Trespassing” signs that Ford had been putting up lately. Faraday jumped off the seat, and ran downstairs to get a better look.

The door was opened, so Faraday poked his head outside. But before he could get a better look at what Stanley was doing, or even be noticed by him, he heard a metal clanging around the corner. The sudden noise caught Stanley’s attention as well, and almost at the same time, they both turned their heads to find a stack of gnomes trying to hop up on a garbage can to get to the kitchen window.

Faraday only rolled his eyes at having to watch them attempt this. Again. But Stanley had a, different reaction.

“Augh! What the hell are those things?!” Stanley exclaimed at a pitch Faraday didn’t realize his gravely voice could reach. One of the younger looking gnomes turned to him. 

“Oh, hey there Ford.” The gnome waved at Stanley, who was still staring at them in disbelief. “Now I know you said not to break in anymore, but your house is the only one for miles, and our tiny adorable legs can only carry us so far. So if you don’t mind, we’re just gonna raid your cabinets, maybe check out some morning soaps on that glowing box of yours, and be on our way.” The gnome continued to talk as he walked back to his group. Possibly trying to distract from the breaking and entering. “Love the new look by the way. Growing out the hair is a bold move. It suits you.”  

Faraday decided to make his presence known and launched a Thunderbolt cutting off his path to the rest of the gnomes, startling both Stanley and the young gnome.  
“Pikachu Pi Chu!” Faraday yelled at the gnomes as he stepped out onto the porch.

“Aw come on Pikachu. Don’t be so cruel. Can’t you spare some of that delicious human food for some old friends?” The gnome asked at first annoyed, but as he went on, he began to have a pleading tone, and the other gnomes joined in. Though Faraday didn’t have to be as smart as his former trainer to tell they were putting on an act.

“Pi Pikachu!” Faraday replied to the gnome as unamused as he could. 

But the gnome had the nerve to be offended “What?! What do you mean we’re not friends? After all the help we gave your friend in his silly research, you can’t even let us into your- Whoa!” Without warning, the gnome was pulled into the air mid sentence by Stanley. Lifting him up by the collar of his shirt so they were face to face.

“Now you listen to me, you creepy Oompa Loompas. I don’t know what you are, or what you think you’re doing, but clearly you’re not welcome here.” Stanley kept jabbing the gnome in the stomach with his finger to emphasize his point. “And if you don’t get off my brother’s property in two seconds, I’ll send you back to Munchkinland myself.” Stanley brought a fist up to the gnome’s now terrified looking face, then asked the gnome with a glare and a snarl. “Got it?” 

It took the gnome a minute to compose himself, but when he did, his expression changed from one of terror to confusion. “Wait. So you’re not Ford? Well, I think now it’s my turn for questions, pal. Like who the heck are you? And why are you-” Stanley interrupted him yet again, but this time by pulling him behind him and then throwing him as hard as could.

“Heeeeeeeeeeeeeere!” The gnome cried as he flew above the treelines, and crashed far into the forest. Stanley turned to the other gnomes, and with furrowed brows and a tight frown, he punched his hand with his fist. “Anybody else have questions?” As Stanley towered over them, the other gnomes scurried back into the forest.

They both looked out into the forest, but Faraday was still surprised at how Stanley handeled the situation. Usually people who discover paranormal creatures for the first time are stunned into silence. But what Stanley did. That was impressive.

“Well, that happened.” Stanley finally broke the silence with that deadpan remark. All that anger and frustration seemed to melt away almost instantly. He turned and asked Faraday. “So, does stuff like that happen often?”

“Pika” Faraday nodded.

“Terrific.” Stanley remarked. “Well, at least now I know what I’m really getting myself into. Thanks for your help by the way. Nice to see you using that Thunderbolt on someone besides me.” Faraday rubbed the back of his head, a bit embarrassed by that comment, but grateful that Stanley still liked having him around.

“Whaddya say to having some breakfast?” Stanley asked as he put his hands under his armpits. “It’s still pretty cold out here. I could use a break.”

Faraday was still wondering what Stanley was doing out here, but he could feel hunger taking over him, so he replied “Pikachu!” with a nod and a smile as they both headed back into the house.  
\----------------------------------------------------------------  
Stan had rounded up the biggest group of people so far. Some of them tourists, and some of the townsfolk who were now becoming regulars (If you can have regulars when you’ve been opened for 3 days), but things were going better then he thought.

“Behold! The Grizzlycorn!” Stan announced as he showcased a bear head mounted on the wall with a unicorn horn glued to it. He found them both just lying around and was pretty sure neither of them were fake, but who cares? The people ate it up! He was starting to figure out what worked for these people. The tackier the better. Which was good, because he couldn’t afford to make anything of quality. Maybe if business keeps going this well, he could get some merchandise made. But as he was fantasizing about the future of the Murder Hut, he didn’t realize that the group had stopped marveling at the Grizzlycorn, and stared at an unusual light coming from the next room. The door was closed, but the light was coming through the cracks.

“Umm. What is that?” a little boy asked while hiding behind his mother. Stan didn’t know either, but he had to act fast.

“Oh that? That’s just, uh,” he stuttered for a minute and put on his best showman voice.”An alien experiment from the farthest reaches of the universe. I was told not to share this with the public, but it seems the secret is out. I can assure you that it’s harmless, but it is something that can only be seen by someone who’s willin’ to pay it’s caretaker 20 bucks” Might as well take advantage of this. “That’s me by the way.” 

The group readied their wallets and were about to pay Stan more then the price of admission to see one attraction. Hopefully that weird shriveled thing Ford had left in a tank in that room would convince these people that dumb story he made up was true. 

Before he accepted the cash, he slowly opened the door to the next room, and was suddenly blinded by an intense light. He covered his eyes and fell backward in surprise. Unfortunately, he pulled the door back with him. Once he heard the group let out a collective scream, he squinted to get a better look at what was causing the bright light. As he looked down he saw, Faraday?! Glowing bright enough to startle everyone in the room. He didn’t have time to wonder what that Pikachu thought he was doing, because the customers all began to panic.

“It really is an alien!”

“What do we do?!”

“Orson Wells lied to us!”

“Chuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu”

Before Stan could compose himself and calm the group down, Faraday launched a wide Thunderbolt attack. Blowing out one of the lights. Hitting multiple parts of the walls, and almost hitting some of the customers. What is wrong with him?!

“Let’s get out of here!”

“Save the children! They’ll lay eggs in their brains!”

Wait what? Stan realized that the customers and their money were all heading for the exit.

“No! Wait! Don’t go! None of you have paid yet!” Stan cried out as he got up, but it was too late. The last customer slammed the door behind them, and Stan watched them all run for their lives out the window. Faraday stopped attacking, and the light that he was apparently causing (must be another attack) dimmed down.

“Pika. Pikachu?” Faraday sounded like he was asking Stan a question, but Stan didn’t care. He should be the one asking the questions around here.

“Are you crazy?! Faraday, why would you chase all those people off like that? Do you have any idea what you just cost me?” Stan was screaming as he stomped into the next room. At first Faraday looked confused. But then he looked, agitated? What could he possibly be angry about? 

Before he could ponder that any further, Faraday had decided to show him. He ran to the corner of the room and pointed at one of the “No Trespassing” signs that Stan had ripped out of the ground this morning. So Faraday thought that they were intruders, and still thinks that no one else is allowed on the premises.

Stan sighed exasperatedly “Look. I get it. Stanford didn’t want people up here. And judging by what Iv’e seen over the past few days, I can’t say I blame him. But he’s not around right now, and I need this space to build a business. As long as I’m around, there are going to be a lot of people coming in and out of here. Okay?” Stan tried to explain calmly, but towards the end, it was becoming a more demanding tone. 

Faraday looked up at Stan with a strange look. Stan really wished Pokemon could properly talk, because he had no idea what he was thinking. Was he confused? Angry? Scared?   
Whatever he was feeling, it caused Faraday to shake his head violently.”Piii! Pika. Pika Pi!” He was pointing at the stupid sign again. Stan let out a growl, grabbed the sign, and hurled in to the other side of the room. 

“You are not the one in charge here! I am! I could’ve left you in that Poke Ball, but I let you out and take care of you the best I can, and this is how you thank me?!” Stan was getting angrier. His shoulders were hunched and his hands were in white knuckled fists at his side. He’d had enough. The last few days had been stressful enough, and just when things were looking better, this Pokémon comes in and ruins it. He couldn’t afford to lose the house, so he had to show Faraday who’s boss now.

“You still want to stay here? You follow my rules.” He looked Faraday directly into his now very wide eyes. “Got it?” Stan hissed.

Faraday changed his expression very quickly, and this time it was obvious. Faraday was furious. So furious that he instantly launched another Thunderbolt attack. Stan leaned to the side, but didn’t dodge it all the way, and the electricity scraped across his right shoulder. Stan suddenly felt a white hot searing pain. The attack aggravated his still healing burn, and burned through the seams of the patch he had to put on his jacket. Of all the places to be hit.

Stan let out a scream and clutched his shoulder, but the pain was too much. His legs gave out, and he found himself kneeling on the floor in front of Faraday. He was hissing and gasping in pain. Then he suddenly heard Faraday speak. “Pikachu?” Stan was having trouble keeping his eyes open, but he noticed Faraday was slowly trying to approach him.

“Don’t you come near me.” Stan hissed through gritted teeth. Faraday stared at him for a moment, and then ran off. He didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t think straight. It hurt so much. Great. Now he had to go get this checked again.  
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Stan was driving back from the hospital as night fell on this long day. His shoulder had been treated, and while it still hurt, it was only a quick flash of pain when he used his arm too much. So driving wasn’t a whole lot of fun right now. But at least it looked like it wasn’t gong to make the forming scar on his shoulder any worse.

But while every over active movement reminded him of his injury, for the most part, he was thinking about what happened earlier, and how he acted. He probably wasn’t being fair to Faraday. He wasn’t the only one going through a tough time right now. And Stan knew what it felt like to have your whole world pulled out from uder you in a matter of seconds. 

But that didn’t change the fact that he still had a mission to complete. After what happened today, Stan wasn’t sure if he could look after Faraday like he thought. 

Stan knew what he had to do. He just hoped he was doing the right thing.  
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Faraday sat on the couch in Ford’s room. He remembered that there were a lot of times when Ford had worked all through the night, and didn’t remember to return him to his Poke Ball. So he had spent a lot of nights on this comfy couch, but it felt like it had been so long since the last time. 

He stopped this trip down memory lane when he thought about what happened earlier today. He had heard noises. Many people other then Stanley. Recently, no one else had been allowed in the house besides Stanley. He knew Ford was gone, but he couldn’t help but enforce the rules that his former trainer had made very, very clear to him right before he left. He was just trying to protect Stanley from what he thought were intruders. Just like he did with the gnomes this morning. But instead, Stanley was completely changing the house for his own gain. Why was he doing that? Was he just trying to make a quick buck out of his own brother’s house? Faraday was still angry at his former trainer for leaving, but to disobey every rule Ford had enforced and trying to profit off of it? That was unforgivable. 

Even so, he didn’t mean to hurt Stanley. He was scared. He was angry. He gets jumpy when confronted like that. Being so twitchy is pretty much how he met Ford. He was still angry for what Stanley was doing to the place he’d called home for so long, but after the way Stanley acted towards him, and what he did, he can’t imagine what it’s going to be like to live here from now on.

He scratched his head with his tail, wondering where to go from here, and how to handle the punishment he knew was coming. Suddenly, he heard a car door close. It was Stanley. It had to be. Faraday didn’t know what do to. He wasn’t ready to face Stanley. So he ran under the couch. Hoping to hide himself for just a little longer.

Unfortunately, after only a couple of minutes, Stanley came closer to Ford’s room. Stanley called out for him as he opened the door. “Faraday! You in here?” Stanley looked around and stopped right where Faraday was hiding, crouching further underneath the couch when he found him. His expression changed. He looked sadder. He had a more sympathetic look the Faraday thought he was going to get. Stanley came closer and kneeled down so he could get a better look at Faraday.

Stanley went to rub the back of his neck, but then hissed in pain. Faraday backed under the couch more at the sound. Stanley’s arm dropped on his knee as he let out a sigh.

“Look. This doesn’t seem to be working out. After everything that happened today, I think that’s pretty clear;” Faraday closed his eyes, waiting for the the punishing anger to come again. But instead, in a soft tone, he heard Stanley say “I haven’t been fair to you.” Faraday’s ears perked up at that and he looked at Stanley again.

“I shouldn’t expect you to go along with everything that’s happened. You have every right to be scared and confused.” Stan closed his eye and sighed again. Then he looked at Faraday again and continued. “Stanford called me here. But the reason I’m still here is because he’s trapped on the other side of that freaky portal in the basement. You know what I’m talking about right?” Faraday slowly nodded. “I’m trying to find a way to get him back. But I have to stay here to do that. I can’t afford to lose the house. If I do, my only chance of seeing my brother again will be lost. Forever”

Faraday just stared at Stanley. Taking in all this new information. Before he could make any confirmation that he was following along, Stanley continued.

“I didn’t want to turn his house into a cheap tourist attraction at first, but I stumbled onto something I’m good at. A profitable skill. I’m only letting people into the house and changing what I am so I can afford to keep the house. I don’t exactly have any other measurable skills” Stanley said that last part in a pretty low whisper. Almost as if Faraday wasn’t meant to hear it.

“But I didn’t expect you. I didn’t even know Ford had Pokémon. I’m trying my best here Faraday. I really am. But I haven’t had to look after anyone besides myself for a long time. I can’t imagine just having someone dropped into my lap and being expected to take care of them. But like I said, that’s not fair to you.”

Faraday saw Stanley reach into his pocket. He pulled out his Poke Ball. “I’m not your trainer. So I shouldn’t expect you to listen to me, and I couldn’t return you to your Poke Ball even if I wanted to. So it’s your choice. I don’t know when or if Stanford will come back, so you don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to. I’m not going to force you out. That would probably make me the world’s biggest hypocrite.” Again, he said that last part under his breath.

“If you do stay, all I can really promise you is a roof over your head, a few decent meals, and someone who’s willing to help you, and maybe even be your friend, even if I may not be great at it. But the Murder Hut stays for as long as I say, and you have to respect that. But if you won’t be happy here, you can leave. No hard feelings.”

He placed Faraday Poke Ball in front of Faraday’s spot under the couch. “It’s up to you.” With that, Stanley got up with a grunt and another hiss of pain, and left the room. 

Faraday crawled out from under the couch and stared at the door for a moment. He looked down at his reflection in his Poke Ball. There were so many feelings going through his head, but one thing stuck out more and more. What should he do now?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we are! The final chapter! I’ll give my thanks at the end of the story, so for now, hope you guys enjoy the conclusion.

“Pika…” Faraday let out in a heavy sigh as he layed on the carpet in Ford’s room. Scratching his head with his tail. It must have been hours since Stanley left him alone, and he sat there the whole time. Staring at his Pokeball lying on the floor. Running scenario after scenario in his head.

What should he do now? There doesn’t seem to be a place for him here anymore. He was Stanford’s Pokémon. That’s why he was brought here in the first place. To help his partner in anyway he could. But he was gone. He disappeared somewhere and left him behind. It was a bitter truth he kept repeating over and over. But that’s because it was so hard for him to understand.

Did he really mean so little to Ford to be stuffed in a drawer forgotten? After everything they’d been through? Apparently. Ford must not have needed him anymore. So there really was no reason for him to stay.

But at the same time, he loved this life. He loved living in a house with a friend, instead of alone out in the wilderness. Fending off who knows what just to survive. Sure, Ford took him into the woods all the time for research, but that was with backup, and somewhere safe and warm to go at the end of the day, and that was nice.

He was even starting to like Stanley before everything that happened earlier. But he’s not Stanley’s Pokémon, and Stanley does things so much differently then Stanford did. It was as unusual to him as the first few days he spent in this house with Ford. Could he really learn to live with someone so different? Or would he get so stuck in his old ways that Stanley would eventually kick him out by force?

Faraday just didn’t know what to do. No solution seemed to be a very pleasant one. He looked up from the ball for the first time in quite a while to realize just how late it was. It was so dark outside, that the moonlight was the only way you could see anything in the room or outside the window.

Then Faraday realized something. This is where Stanley has been sleeping. So where was he? Even though he hasn’t made a decision yet, he wanted to make sure Stanley was okay. So he ran out of the room to go look for him.

He ran up to the attic, and around most of the main floor before he reached the room that Stanley had turned into a tacky, crowded tourist trap. He hesitated to go back into the room where all of this trouble started, but he still nudged the door open and took a quick look around.

Suddenly, he noticed that the secret door to the basement was partly opened. Was Stanley in the portal room? There was only one way to find out. Faraday ran back into the other room and headed into the vents. He used these to get to the hard to access rooms all the time. And the portal room was one of the hardest to access rooms in the house.

He slowly opened the grate to try his best not to get noticed, and noticed Stanley sitting at the desk in front of the observation window. Faraday took a chance and hopped down onto the control panel. Stanley didn’t seem to notice. As Faraday got closer, he realized that Stanley was resting his head on the console, sleeping. He probably should have guessed that that loud noise was his snoring.

Faraday looked around and noticed that there were books and papers scattered across the desktop. Even around where Faraday was standing. So Stanley really was trying to restart the portal. Faraday knew that it was a complicated machine. Stanley must have been working really hard down here. On top of what he was doing to the house upstairs, just how long had Stanley been trying to figure the portal out before he found his Pokeball?

Stanley let out a abrupt snore that made Faraday jump. He let out a quite sqeak of “Pi.” at the fact that he may have been caught. Stanley still seemed to be sleeping, but it sounded like he was saying something.

“S- Sorry. Sorry.” Stanley mumbled in his sleep before returning to his regular snoring. Bu that one word brought a memory to the forefront of Faraday’s mind.

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_“Pika Pi?” Faraday had been calling out as he wandered around the house looking for Ford. When he tried his room, he found Fiddleford sprawled across the couch sleeping. It’s no wonder he was so exhausted after the incident with the carpet. But he still wanted to find Ford. He had checked the entire house, except for two places. So he hopped into the vents to search the secret rooms._

_He wasn’t in his study, so he had to be in the portal room. He took a peek through the grate and noticed Ford was there. “Pika Pi!” Faraday cheered. He was so excited to find his trainer that he popped open the grate and jumped down. But when Faraday got a closer look, he realized that Ford was laying his head on the console. He must have fallen asleep while working on the portal._

_There were papers scattered all over the place, even a few on the floor. Two of his journals were opened in front of him, his coat was draped over the back of the chair, and there was a half empty, very cold by now cup of coffee. This isn’t the first time Faraday had found his trainer like this, especially in this room, and he learned from past experience that if he woke him up, he’d just go right back to work until he collapsed somewhere else. So Faraday decided not to disturb him._

_Faraday hopped up onto a row of shelves that lined the controls along the wall. On one of the shelves, there was a navy blue blanket. Faraday put the folded blanket on his back and hopped back down on the control panel. He put it in his hands, but he paused when he heard Ford mumble something under his breath._

_“ M’ sorry. Sorry.”_

_That was all he said before he fell back into the even breathing that came with a deep sleep. Faraday draped the blanket over his trainers shoulders, and curled up in a corner of the console that was clear of papers._

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Faraday remembered that that wasn’t the only time he’d done something like that for Ford. They were partners. Which meant they looked out for each other. But Stanley was here on his own. By the time Ford was working himself this hard, he had Fiddelford to look out for him and help him too. Stanley was alone, and Faraday realized in that moment, that he didn’t want him to be alone.

He may not be Stanley’s Pokémon, but that doesn’t mean he can’t at least try to help him. And judging by the scene in front of him, he could tell that Stanley was going to need all the help he could get, if he was as bad at taking care of himself as his brother was.

Faraday jumped up onto the row of shelves that lined the controls along the wall.

                                                                         -----------------------------------------------------

Stanley groaned as he slowly woke up and peeled himself off the console. As he sat up, he felt something slide down his back. He turned around and notice that there was a blanket behind him. Where’d that come from?

He stood up with a yawn and a groan. Once he stood, he felt a quick jolt of pain in his back. Probably from sleeping in such an awkward position. “This better not cause any permanent damage.” He grumbled to himself.

Stan headed back upstairs, leaving his work behind to be dealt with later. As he absentmindedly walked down the hall back to Ford’s room, he suddenly remembered. Faraday.

He hadn’t seen him since he talked to him yesterday. Was he even still in the house? He may have decided to leave. Stan wouldn’t blame him after everything that happened. He was starting to like the little guy, but if Faraday decided to leave, Stan would respect his wishes. He promised he would. After all, what was keeping Faraday here?

He snapped out of his thoughts as he opened the door to Ford’s room and found Faraday asleep on the couch. There were a few items scattered around him that Stan didn’t recognize, but what caught his attention was what he did recognize. Faraday’s Pokeball. It had been moved from where Stan had left it on the floor yesterday to the center of the couch.

As he stepped towards the couch, Stan noticed out of the corner of his eye a newspaper right next to Faraday. He wasn’t sure if he should get too close. He might wake Faraday up. But he decided to take the risk and slowly pulled the newspaper away from it’s spot on the couch to get a closer look. The title of the article it had been opened to caught Stan by surprise.

**New Tourist Attraction?**  It was all about the Murder Hut. And there wasn’t a bad word to be seen. He walked away slowly with his back turned to the couch as he read about how people love the “strange” and “mysterious” things found at the Murder Hut. It was practically free advertising. Stan was speechless. It was working. People were buying his act. With an article like this, he’ll get all sorts of new customers despite what happened yesterday. Stan returned to the thought he had yesterday about coming up with merchandise.

“Pikachu.” Stan jumped as he was instantly brought out of his musings. He whipped around to see that Faraday had woken up. He was just, standing there. Looking at him with wide eyes. They both stayed silent for a moment, but Faraday broke the silence again. “Pikachu” Faraday said as he bowed his head. He looked so sad. Why was he sad? Wait.

“Are- Are you trying to apologize?”

“Pikachu” Faraday replied. Still keeping his head down.

Stan let out a heavy sigh “Look, don’t worry about it. Clearly we both did some dumb things. But I told ya. I’m not gonna keep you here if you don’t wanna stay here with me.”

“Pikaaa” Faraday interrupted quickly shaking his head. Before Stan could continue, Faraday leapt off the couch and started to climb up Stan’s back.

“Whoa- Hey- What are you-?” Stan stuttered as Faraday quickly jumped onto his good shoulder, grabbed the newspaper in his mouth, and leapt back to the couch before Stan could even really register what he was trying to do. Faraday stopped at the top of the couch, where a white dress shirt was draped. Faraday hung the shirt by the coat hanger it was on on his tail, and held the newspaper in his hand.

“Pika. Pika Pikachu.” Faraday said pointing to the paper and waving the shirt around. He was clearly trying to tell him something, but Stan wasn’t entirely sure what. So he took a guess.

“Is the, shirt for me?” Stan asked, pointing to himself.

“Pika.” Faraday nodded.

Stan let out a bit of a snort. “What? Are ya tryin to make me more presentable to the customers at the Murder Hut?”

“Pika.” Faraday nodded again. Which took Stan by surprise.

Was Faraday really triyng to help him? Stan couldn’t imagine why. He seemed to have hated the Murder Hut, why would he try to help Stan look better while running it? Then again, despite the fact he was able to give his clothes a decent wash in the past few weeks, they were still old and threadbare in spots, and even he’d have to admit that they’re pretty gross.

Until he could afford to put some money aside to get some new clothes (Maybe even a nice suit), the shirt did look nice. Even if he might feel weird wearing it. Since he was sure it was his brother’s.

Stan let out a groan and grabbed the shirt from Faraday’s grasp. “All right. I’ll try it. But I don’t know what difference it’ll make.” Stan proceeded to take off his jacket and shirt, and put on the dress shirt. Buttoning it up completely. It wasn’t as snug of a fit as he thought it would be (Ford looked pretty thin when he got here), but he got a quick glance of himself in the mirror.

He turned to get a better look. “Huh” He let out as he took in how he looked in a nice clean shirt. Even when it wasn’t tucked in or anything, it did look pretty good. He still felt weird about wearing it, but if Faraday really was trying to make him look better when he was running the Murder Hut, he may be onto something.

Stan was brought out of his thoughts when he heard Faraday agan “Pika Pika?” Stan turned around and found that Faraday had moved from his spot on the couch to the carpet right behind him. Something was hanging on his tail.

“Pika Pika.” Faraday turned around so Stan could get a better look at what he was holding. Stan was confused by what Faraday was showing him. He probably shouldn’t be surprised at this point. Still, he had to ask.

“A fez?” Stan asked and Faraday proceeded to nod. It was red like pretty much every other fez out there, but what made this one stand out was that it had a gold emblem of what looked like some kind of fish on it. He could’ve sworn he’d seen it before, but he couldn’t quite place where. He was sure of one thing. He’d look ridiculous in it.

“Look, I appreciate the help, and the shirt was a pretty good idea. But I’m trying to be a tour guide. Not a shriner. I don’t think it’s for me.” Stan tried to let Faraday down easy, but Faraday’s brows furrowed as he responded with “Pi Pikachu Pika?”

“Okay, okay!” Even if Stan couldn’t understand what Faraday was saying, he knew that “just do it” attitude when he saw it. He grabbed the fez from Faraday. “You’re just as stubborn as your trainer, you know that?” Still, Stan placed the fez on his head, and took another look at himself. He hated to admit it, but he actually kind of liked it.

It still looked kind of weird, but it seemed like it realy suited him. Almost as if it was always meant to be his. Suddenly, he felt something climbing up his back, and before he could respond, he saw Faraday poking over his shoulder in the reflection. “Pika?”

Stan chuckled. “Well, you certainly know how to spruce someone up. Maybe if the whole battling other creatures thing doesn’t work out, you can become a fashion consultant.”

Stan laughed at his own comment, and Faraday joined in. That was the first time he had laughed in a while, and even if he didn’t know for sure, he got the feeling that the same applied to Faraday. Sure, Faraday smiled here and there, but there was always a bit of sadness behind it. But it did make Stan happy to see Faraday filled with joy. Even if it was for a few seconds.

“So…. uh” Stan broke the moment of silence that followed. “Why are you helping me now? Does all of this mean that, you wanna stay here, even with the changes I’m making?”

Faraday was silent for a minute. Staring at his reflection in the mirror. Stan really wished he knew what was going on in that Pikachu’s head. But Faraday finally looked right at him, and replied “Pika!” with a strong nod.

Stan didn’t know what to feel in that moment. He was surprised at Faraday’s decision, considering how unhappy he seemed over the past few days. He was a little worried, since now this meant he had to take care of him indefinitely. But even if Faraday wasn’t his Pokémon, he felt a sense of companionship with Faraday that he hadn’t felt towards anyone in a long time. Sure, the idea of looking out for someone else after being alone for so long did scare him, but the fact that someone would be there alongside him. The fact that whatever his promise to himself to stay in Gravity Falls until he rescued Ford would mean for him. Whatever this strange town had in store for him, he didn’t have to do this alone. And Stan was willing to push all of his uncertainties aside if it meant keeping Faraday around.

“Well then. I guess for now, You and me are sticking together!”

                                                                                  -----------------------------------------------------

Faraday still felt a little uneasy after he made his decision known. He was still sad and angry at Ford for disappearing and leaving him behind, and he felt like he’d never get over that. He was scared at what it could mean to live with Stanley, and how different everything would be. But Faraday came to love the companionship that came with being a trainer’s Pokémon, and he wasn’t just doing this for himself. After what he saw last night, he could tell that Stanley was very lonely. And he wouldn’t wish such lonliness on anyone.

He liked Stanley, and after everything he was willing to do for him, Faraday wanted to help him where he could. Gravity Falls was a very strange place, and there were all sorts of thigns that could hurt you here, and Faraday didn’t want to leave Stanley alone in a place surrounded by things he didn’t understand. At least not yet. Even if Faraday couldn’t vocalize the promise of not much more then a helping hand and maybe even a friendship, Faraday hoped that the gesture he offered today showed Stan that he might gain something by keeping Faraday around.

“Well then. I guess for now, you and me are sticking together!” Stanley exclaimed.

“Pikachu”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s it!! The end of my first multi chapter fic! Thank you so much to everyone for reading, sharing, and leaving wonderful comments and helpful constructive criticism I received on Tumblr, and I hope all you hear on AO3 enjoy this as well. There's more to come from this AU including stories already written, and hopefully some future works exclusively for AO3.
> 
> In the meantime, thanks again for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the story of The ‘Mon Who was Left Behind!


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